Take advantage of limited time SkyDrive loyalty offer from Microsoft

Get a free SkyDrive upgrade to 25GB just by clicking the right link, but don't wait too long.

This story has been showing up all over my social media streams and on several of the websites I track, but I could not leave the news to chance when it comes to readers of the TechRepublic Microsoft Windows Blog. Whether you use Microsoft's SkyDrive on a regular basis or just occasionally, you still have a limited time to upgrade your account to allow access to more free storage space.

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Upgrade SkyDrive

SkyDrive is Microsoft's cloud storage service. The service itself has been available for a long time, but Microsoft is doubling-down on the service with features and enhancements designed around the upcoming Windows 8 operating system. For mobile devices lake tablets and smartphones, having a common cloud-based storage service can make life much easier.

Microsoft is modifying the terms of SkyDrive so they can have more flexibility in how they manage the service. For most of us, unless we take advantage of this limited time upgrade offer, the free storage on a SkyDrive account will drop from 25GB to 7GB. However, if you take the free upgrade, you can keep the storage limit at the 25GB level. Even if you never use that much storage, it is a deal worth the minimal effort it takes to activate it.

How to upgrade

For a limited time, any registered SkyDrive user *who has uploaded files to SkyDrive* as of April 22nd can opt in to keep 25GB of free storage while still getting all of the benefits of the new service.

To opt in to keep the 25GB, go to the SkyDrive site and login. Click the Manage Storage link and then find the link on the page that mentions "Free Upgrade" and click it. That's it - you have upgraded to the 25GB free storage level.

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About Mark Kaelin

Mark Kaelin is a CBS Interactive Senior Editor for TechRepublic. He is the host for the Microsoft Windows and Office blog, the Google in the Enterprise blog, the Five Apps blog and the Big Data Analytics blog.

Full Bio

Mark Kaelin is a CBS Interactive Senior Editor for TechRepublic. He is the host for the Microsoft Windows and Office blog, the Google in the Enterprise blog, the Five Apps blog and the Big Data Analytics blog.

I tried to upgrade, saw an empty Documents folder, and upgraded. At first it surprised me since I believed it was necessary to have files on SkyDrive, but now i hace read the thread attentively and it is necessary to use the service, which is different from actually uploading files.
I guess I have used the service nearly automatically when using Windows 8. Thus, i guess the upgrade is also a nice touch for Windows beta testers.

OK .. have done a better job reading back through thread and see that upgrade button is only presented to those that were existing users who had utilised service on or before 22/4 so that explains why as a new user I an d lot of others do not receive the upgrade option.
This was not obvious on the news letter which was my trigger to go look at setting up SkyDrive. News letter went out 26th, however I can see that for existing SkyDrive users the newsletter article was of major value .. it was just not clear to me that if you were not already in it ( the offer ) did not apply.
Thanks to Mark etc as i enjoyed several of the other articles .. as usual...MikeJMurphyMJM

Can anyone explain why some users are seemingly able to upgrade to this free 25GB from otherwise default 7GB today 26th April using this free upgrade button, when many others including myself in Ireland are not offered the button to expand the free storage button ? This notification email was only sent/received today 26th from TechRepublic contrary to some earlier assertions that it was sent out on time , when the MS article states that the offer expires 24/4. Again was the article sent to some on time and late to other members ?
Is it because those that can expand successfully had previously utilised the SkyDrive storage prior to this ( My setup was a new initial setup today )
MikeJMurphy #all very frustrating and somewhat time wasting unfortunately.

Thanks for the heads up Mark. Offer was still good as of 4/26.
I don't see an option on the site to upload folders so I downloaded the client app. It works like other services syncing a local folder so it will allow you to upload folders.

I also couldn't figure out how to upload Folders to Skydrive. It tells me it can't upload Folders when I try to copy them over in the Explorer App. It would be useless without that capability.
When I get time, someday, maybe I will read the direction, but that still may not help.

I signed some time ago, and although I thought I was reasonably smart, I couldn't figure out how to upload files. Nevertheless, I was successful in getting the upgrade. I have 2 other small free cloud spaces which are so intuitive that I didn't have to think twice. OK, so please tell me how to use Skydrive.

I have TechRepublic Info flooding my inbox. I can't read all of it, but I do enjoy what I can, especially info like the SkyDrive Upgrade Offer. A free 25GB of online storage space is too good to ignore. Thanks for the useful news.

great service for getting files from one source to another destination.
I can put file(s) or pictures from my home computer and the download from other locations when needed. For work great to have those office project docs handy from remote locations.
I would however never use as an only storage or copy of files or a total backup solution, using any cloud based service.
For backup may good for a secondary solution but would have another local backup as my primary, stored off site but locally accessible. Never know when a cloud service becomes vapor when the lights get turned off.
As for security, never use to store those spreadsheets with all your office systems admin passwords, home banking info, etc, but if do use to store any sensitive info make sure well encrypted first.
My other problem is I refuse to use any service and/or app as much as possible that requires any software that is loaded on my machine to have to access with some exceptions for standard apps, and for web apps, use of the more common standard plug-ins is fine but when have that site that requires their own viewer or app, I hit the close button, Why I never run i tunes when can download mp3 files without proprietary software anytime (paid sites of course).

The upgrade does work and the post is timely. The post was sent out 4/24/12 and if you read it states "For a limited time, any registered SkyDrive user *who has uploaded files to SkyDrive* as of April 22nd can opt in to keep 25GB of free storage while still getting all of the benefits of the new service." The free upgrade button will only appear if you have uploaded files prior to 4/22/12 onto SkyDrive. It worked for me. Thanks for the heads up on the free upgrade!

updgraded (it is possible from a Non US) however when I tried to move a whole folder of articles (700 mb) I got a message saying that only a doc at a time can be copied over. If 25 GB is provided it is not a very flexible or handy solution.

well I've just tried to upgrade after following the above instructions and the "Free upgrade" button doesn't appear so I cannot upgrade.
Am I too late, is this a non US problem because I'm in the UK or am I doing something wrong?
By the way, Skydrive does work with XP....

You have to have used SkyDrive before April 22, 2012. It is a "loyalty" upgrade.
I see some are complaining about the timeliness of the post - Microsoft announced the promotion on April 23 - the cut off date is their creation not mine.

I use the skydrive app on my focus every now and then. I store important troubleshooting documents on the skydrive for easy access (provided I have that internet connection). I also make use of the Office application that came with the focus: storing troubleshooting documents locally on the phone, spreadsheets for the various networks I support, etc.
I haven't stored documents on the skydrive that have super important information like network information due to my skepticism toward the security of cloud storage. Do I want to store information there like our network map?

I definitely share your skepticism! As long as you store them in strongly encrypted files (and I don't mean a password protected spreadsheet), then I feel safe storing the information on the cloud. Most of the agreements I have seen regarding free cloud storage allow the provider to scan the files. (Nothing is ever truly free).
Of course securing the documents may preclude you from gaining access easily, especially from a tablet or phone. But there are options, for passwords KeePass has an app I use for storing passwords. There are some apps that allow you to use TrueCrypt or other strong encryption to access and save encrypted containers. That could work as long as the containers are small enough for quick access from mobile devices over relatively slow links.
There is NO WAY I would store un-encrypted or weakly encrypted information on the cloud, regardless of the provider.